Conundrum

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Conundrum

• Take a look at the conundrum left on your seat
• When you get it - keep it to yourself !

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Equality Diversity WorkshopsAutumn 2008
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Conundrum

• Any ideas about the answer ?

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Outline of the workshop

• What do we mean ?
• What problems do businesses face in 2008 ?
• Why does diversity in the workplace matter ?
• What are the risks to businesses ?
• What opportunities do we face ?
• What have others done ?
• What help is at hand ?
• What next for you ?

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Equality and Diversity

• What do we mean by equality and diversity ?
• Are they the same thing ?

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Equality and Diversity are about..

• Recognising differences between people
• Acknowledging past imbalance
• Taking steps to redress imbalance
• Maintaining competition (where appropriate)
• Ensure equal access to jobs, promotion, benefits,
  services
• and being aware of our attitudes and their
  practical impact

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Equal ? ? Diverse ? ?
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Diverse ? ? Equal ?
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Equality vs Diversity

• Equality
• Equal Opportunities approach
• Emphasis on legal compliance
• Putting employees into categories
• 6 discrimination law jurisdictions

• G.R.A.D.E.S.
• Gender
• Religion and Belief
• Age
• Disability
• Ethnicity and Race
• Sexual Orientation

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Equality vs Diversity

• Diversity
• Equal Opportunities (legal compliance) approach
  Business Benefits
• Continuous spectrum not categories more
  realistic
• Variety in workforce is source of strength
• not weakness

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Stereotypes

• Danger - we categorise people too readily
• and based on insufficient information
• about them or their group
• Exercise
• Write down the name of the famous people (alive
  or dead) we are describing

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Subject number 1

• White man
• Vegetarian
• Loves children
• Mountain walking enthusiast
• Public speaking skills
• Determined and hard working

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Subject number 2

• Revolutionary
• Terrorist
• Danger to society
• Fanatic
• Plans to overthrow stable government
• Wanted man

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Did you guess correctly ?
Subject no. 1
Subject no. 2
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The challenges we face

• .. and the benefits of a diverse workforce

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What problems do businesses face ?

• Costs
• Getting people
• Keeping people
• Motivating them
• Avoiding legal risks
• Getting more business
• Including public sector contracts

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The Credit Crunch

• Costs and price of credit are rising
• Competition for business is increasing
• We need value for money
• and to maximise business / sales opportunities

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Financial business case for diversity

• Maximising business turnover
• Maximising commercial opportunities
• Finding diverse (new) markets to sell into
• Minimising labour turnover and recruitment costs
• Minimising absence levels / stress-related
  illness
• Avoiding litigation costs
• What difference does diversity make ?

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Diversity in action

• What is the annual spending power of disabled
  people in Scotland ?
• The pink pound is worth how many billion pounds
  in UK ?

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Diversity in action

• In a consumer survey, what percentage of
  heterosexual people said they would be less
  likely to buy from an organisation that had
  demonstrated negative views about sexual
  orientation ?

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Recruitment

• Difficulty in recruiting the right person
• Limited choice is a challenge
• Widen the labour market
• Changing demographics
• Need to think outside the box

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Sobering statistics

• By 2011, only 20 of workforce will be able
  bodied, white, British male under 45
• By 2020 half UK population will be 50 or over

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What about considering

• an older (or younger) person ?
• a disabled worker ?
• a labour market returner ?
• (or one person who fits all these categories ?)

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Retaining key staff

• Labour turnover - expensive and inconvenient
• Need to stop people leaving
• or back to work more quickly
• 86 organisations report difficulties recruiting
• Average recruitment cost per employee is 4,667
• 5,800 with associated labour turnover costs
• Source CIPD 2008 Recruitment, Retention and
  Turnover survey

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Retention Key factors

• Employee morale
• Loyalty / commitment
• Reputation in the community
• Fairness / respect / equal treatment and pay
• Dignity at work (freedom from harassment /
  bullying)
• Promotion from within
• Management style / actions

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Retention Key factors

• Absence management back to work plans
• Reasonable adjustments / redeployment /
  retraining
• Tackling stress getting them back to work
• Flexible working positive approach
• ? All relate to equality and diversity

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Customer service

• Widen markets
• Advantage of diverse workforce
• identify new markets, exploit them
• Flexibility in workforce
• Ethical consumer and business to business markets
  new demands new solutions
• Being accessible premises and operating hours
• Diverse workforce helps get business through the
  door keep it

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Litigation threats

• Complexity
• Costs
• Liability for illegal acts of your staff (or of
  your customers)
• Proactive approach
• In advance
• Training

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Litigation defence

• Need to demonstrate preventative actions
• Dignity at Work policy / practice
• Take complaints seriously
• Educate / train workforce to reduce legal risks
• Leaves harasser on their own in court
• Show you take issue seriously
• Gives credibility to your defence

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Public sector contracting

• Increasingly important
• Competition for contracts
• Not just on price - but also equalities record
• Contract compliance approach to procurement
• Your equality and diversity policies / practice
• Difference between getting the work and not

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Business case

• Gaining advantage from diversity
• advantage from equality of opportunity
• Starting the process

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Implementing Diversity 12 Key Steps

• See your handout pack for detail
• Advertising
• Recruitment and Selection
• Application Forms
• Short listing
• Interview process
• Retention Progression
• Pay banding
• Training Development
• Organisational Culture
• Equal Opportunities
• Dignity at Work
• People Friendly policies

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Test your progress !

• Sample Diversity Audit
• www.susescotland.co.uk
• You may already be half-way there !
• Equality Policy sample in the pack
• Remember this is only a start
• To get you through the door
• But you need to walk the talk as well

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Case study
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Where can I start / go now ?What help is
available ?

• Handout Pack
• Local information
• Law At Work for legal queries
• www.susescotland.co.uk
• www.lawatwork.co.uk
• Equality Matters in Business Helpdesk
• emb-enquiries_at_scotent.co.uk
• 0845 6078787

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Equality Matters in Business